Arizona Winter League

I love this picture! Tells a lot about my experience there. Lucky Seven, looking off toward the future while in my dream environment, looking sharp in my baseball uniform	"Young me" Shannon Sprouse from Hilton Head, SC and I at sunset during our playoff game.
This is a crazy but very cool picture...taken from the bottom of the pool.	One of my superstitions. I do it every time. Can you guess what it is? Use the Guestbook to guess...
My manager and former Major League All Star Cory Snyder. He's a cool skipper and a tall guy!	An action "warming up the left fielder" shot
My roomie Derrick Gordon from Chicago. We endured earthquakes, lousy Internet access, and multiple meals at Cocopah Casino buffet! Most impressive, he put up with my snoring for 6 weeks!	Took the Jeep off-roading a couple times out there...good times!
With another good friend Brett Flowers from Huntington Beach, CA.	With Juan Serrano and Karl Fultz in Algodones, Mexico...I know what you're thinking and I agree: yes, Karl's hat is way cool.
Here are a couple action shots.	With Kenji Kasahara from Japan
Sprouse and me after a heavy autograph session before one of our games...	My digital camera is so cool. Waterproof and drop-proof! Perfect for me. :)

Arizona Winter League - By the Numbers

0
+ Number of professional contract offers (as a player) I received from the Golden Baseball League.

$0.01
+ Lowest denomination of coinage that would buy you a drink – any drink – at Platinum on “Coin Night.”

.348
+ The "Batting Average Against" stat for me during the AWL. Not very good. The lower the better for pitchers.

1
+ Number of games I started on the mound. 2-9-08 vs. Yuma. 4 innings, 2 earned runs allowed, 4 strikeouts!

+ Total number of official at-bats for me during the Arizona Winter League.

+ Number of innings I played in the outfield during the AWL.

2
+ Round I was drafted in the team draft by the San Diego Surf Dawgs.

+ Number of huge suitcases I packed my clothes in. These suitcases are huge! I overpacked.

+ Number of times I did laundry during my trip. Febreze is my new best friend!!

+ Number of front office position offers I received from Golden Baseball League teams.

3
+ Number of hours to travel to Palm Springs to play. We made the trip twice. Thank goodness for the name game!

+ Number of my teammates I taught my changeup. Good luck with that, boys! “When you speak of me, speak well!”

4
+ Number of countries from which players came to the AWL.

+ Number of earthquakes we had in a two week stretch...the largest of which was 5.4 on the Richter scale and actually woke me up! (It was at 11:37am :)

5.25
+ My final ERA. While nothing to brag of, thanks to statistician Jim Matthews for pointing out that it was 3^rd lowest on the team.

6
+ Packs of Bubbilicious Gonzo Grape gum I consumed in Yuma. It’s a gametime ritual for me and I have to thank my cousin Chelsea for the gum. What a great Christmas gift! Thanks cuzzz!

+ Number of Ibuprofen I would take before each game to play through the soreness.

+ Maximum number of people (not including me) that were in my car at one point, shuttling to the field.

7
+ My uniform number. Also happens to be my favorite number!

$9.75
+ Price, including tax, of a 12 pack of Bud Light bottles at local Circle-K markets. How do I know this? Let’s just say frequency…

10
+ Number of RBI by our right fielder Geoff Wagner in a 22-4 victory over Blythe. This included 2 HR and 7 RBI in one inning.

12
+ Number of players from my team who were offered professional contracts for this season.

12.0
+ Total number of innings I pitched during the Arizona Winter League

20
+ Total games played by my team the San Diego Surf Dawgs (10-9 regular season, 0-1 in the playoff game)

21
+ Number of baseballs that “mysteriously” found their way into my bag for the journey back home.

30
+ My playing age during the AWL. While definitely on the upper side of players ages, many told me that I was the “youngest old guy they knew.”

34
+ Total number of nights I spent in Yuma for the Arizona Winter League.

55
+ Slowest speed at which my changeup was clocked on the radar gun.

74
+ Fastest speed my fastball was clocked at. Not major (or even minor) league caliber, but the discrepancy between it and my changeup made a lot of people look stupid.

85
+ Approximate number of players from this year’s AWL who will be going to spring training with professional independent or affiliated teams this summer.

150
+ Total number of players in this year’s AWL.

254
+ My room number at the America’s Best Value Inn

297
+ Estimated attendance at our home opener. A very generous estimate! :)

325
+ The BMW Model that my teammate Ben Horner unfortunately wrecked, then 24 hours later he pitches a complete game to get us into the playoffs. Trust me, you're going to love this story!

1,827
+ Approximate number of miles put on my car during the 6 weeks

30,427
+ Page views on www.djej.org during my time in Yuma.

AWL Interviews